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Story
December 15, 1922
Shenandoah Herald
Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Virginia
What is this article about?
Scientists debunk the myth that snakes swallow their young, explaining that females have a muscular pouch under the jaw for protection, activated by danger, which people mistake for the stomach.
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DON'T SWALLOW THEIR YOUNG
Popular Idea Concerning Snakes Is Not
Borne Out by the Observations
of Scientists.
Snakes don't swallow their young.
The ventral scales on a female snake
are controlled by a muscle just behind
the head. Ordinarily they are hori-
zontal, but when the mother snake
scents danger she contracts the muscle
on the back of her neck, which im-
mediately brings the scales to a ver-
tical position. This opens a slit
under the bottom jaw, and at the same
time loosens the abdominal skin, thus
forming a pouch. The younger ones
dart through the slit and into the
pouch, and this is what has led peo-
ple to think they take refuge in the
mother snake's stomach.
It requires careful and skilled dis-
section to detect the pouch, because
the skin shrinks until a snake is
killed. When the poison gland is re-
moved it tightens the skin under the
neck, and the youngsters can't get
into the pouch. In the female snake,
between the pharynx and the gullet,
there is a peculiar, lid-like valve
and anything passing this valve can't
possibly return.
Popular Idea Concerning Snakes Is Not
Borne Out by the Observations
of Scientists.
Snakes don't swallow their young.
The ventral scales on a female snake
are controlled by a muscle just behind
the head. Ordinarily they are hori-
zontal, but when the mother snake
scents danger she contracts the muscle
on the back of her neck, which im-
mediately brings the scales to a ver-
tical position. This opens a slit
under the bottom jaw, and at the same
time loosens the abdominal skin, thus
forming a pouch. The younger ones
dart through the slit and into the
pouch, and this is what has led peo-
ple to think they take refuge in the
mother snake's stomach.
It requires careful and skilled dis-
section to detect the pouch, because
the skin shrinks until a snake is
killed. When the poison gland is re-
moved it tightens the skin under the
neck, and the youngsters can't get
into the pouch. In the female snake,
between the pharynx and the gullet,
there is a peculiar, lid-like valve
and anything passing this valve can't
possibly return.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
Animal Story
What themes does it cover?
Nature
What keywords are associated?
Snake Myth
Protective Pouch
Animal Behavior
Debunked Idea
Mother Snake
Story Details
Story Details
Debunks myth of snakes swallowing young; explains protective pouch mechanism mistaken for stomach, with valve preventing return from gullet.